Mobile device
Definitions A mobile device Overview Once associated only with voice telephone service, mobile devices have become the launching pads for new data-driven technologies and services. Today, mobile devices include portable cartridge/disk-based, removable storage media (e.g., floppy disks, compact disks, USB flash drives, external hard drives, and other flash memory cards/drives that contain non-volatile memory) or portable computing and communications device with information storage capability (e.g., notebook/laptop computers, personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, digital cameras, and audio recording devices). Mobile devices are rapidly incorporating technology such as Global Positioning System, accelerometers, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, enhanced graphics and multi-touch screens. Today, consumers use mobile devices for myriad purposes, including "chatting" through text messaging, taking photographs, browsing the Web, making purchases, listening to music, viewing videos, playing videogames across cyberspace, and keeping track of friends and relatives. "The use of mobile devices has grown so rapidly that mobile devices now outnumber people in the United States, and nearly as many people have a mobile phone as have a bank account."See Cecilia Kang, "A Nation Outnumbered By Gadgets," Wash. Post (Oct. 12, 2011) (full-text); Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Consumer and Mobile Financial Services 2014, at 4-5 (2014) (full-text). U.S. consumers who use their wireless device to access the Internet are particularly interested in obtaining information about traffic, restaurants, movies, stock quotes, maps, sports, and weather. "Mobile devices that access Government resources or process Government data are subject to Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS), specifically FIPS 140-2, FIPS 199, FIPS 200, and FIPS 201."Mobile Security Reference Architecture, at 3. Features The following hardware and software characteristics collectively define the baseline characteristics of a mobile device: * A small form factor * At least one wireless network interface for network access (data communications). This interface uses Wi-Fi, cellular networking, or other technologies that connect the mobile device to network infrastructures with connectivity to the Internet or other data networks. * Local built-in (non-removable) data storage * An operating system that is not a full-fledged desktop or laptop operating system * Applications available through multiple methods (provided with the mobile device, accessed through web browser, acquired and installed from third parties). The following list identifies other common, but optional, characteristics of mobile devices. These features do not define the scope of devices included, but rather indicate features that are particularly important in terms of security risk. This list is not intended to be exhaustive, and is merely illustrative of common features of interest as of this writing. * Network services: ** One or more wireless personal area network interfaces, such as Bluetooth or near-field communications ** One or more wireless network interfaces for voice communications, such as cellular ** Global Positioning System (GPS), which enables location services * One or more digital cameras/video recording devices * Microphone * Storage: ** Support for removable media ** Support for using the device itself as removable storage for another computing device * Built-in features for synchronizing local data with a different location (desktop or laptop computer, organization servers, telecommunications provider servers, other third party servers, etc.) "Different mobile devices have different technical and physical characteristics (e.g., size, weight, processor speed, memory capacity). Mobile devices may also use different types of expansion capabilities to provide additional functionality. Furthermore, mobile device capabilities sometimes include those of other devices such as handheld Global Positioning Systems (GPS), cameras (still and video) or personal computers. Overall, mobile devices can be classified as feature phones that are primarily simple voice and messaging communication devices or smartphones that offer more advanced capabilities and services for multimedia, similar to those of a personal computer."NIST Special Publication 800-101, Rev. 1, at 4. References Source * NIST Special Publication 800-124r1, at 2-3. See also * In the Matter of Implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996: Telecommunications Carriers' Use of Customer Proprietary Network Information and Other Customer Information * Mobile device forensics * Mobile device ID * Mobile Device Location Data: Additional Federal Actions Could Help Protect Consumer Privacy * Mobile device management * Mobile Device Theft Prevention * Protecting Portable Devices: Data Security Category:Telecommunications Category:Definition Category:Wireless Category:Technology